falley



L. H. FALLEY.

ORE SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. 1919.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L. H. FALLEY.

ORE SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPucATloN FILED,vv APR. 1. 1919.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LEWIS H. FALLEY, OF KANSrAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ORE-SEPARATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

Application led Api1 7, 1919. Serial No. 288,401.

To all f1.0 hom, t may concern Be it known that I, Lnwis H. FAnLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Separating Apparatus, of which the following is a complete specification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for the treatment of ore-carrying material, and aims to provide an improved ore separating structure whereby various ores may be recovered from rock, sand and other gangue material.

Accordingly one of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved settling conduit apparatus so constructed and arranged as to eect a novel means of control of the water flow to the influence of which the ore-carrying material is subjected, whereby several distinct separations of the ore are obtained in an eective manner.

For this purpose I have devised a multiple conduit structure comprising several settling compartments, one within the other, and communicating through continuous passageways extending practically throughout the course of the water flow, together with a novel arrangement of deflecting elements for modifying the action and direction of the water flow in order that the required separation of the ores may be effected at the points desired.

It is also sought to devise not only a practical and efficient apparatus of the character described, but one that is comparatively simple and durable, having no mechanically moving parts, and which will be cheap for manufacturing and installing purposes.

With these general objects in view, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical form ofl construction which has been devised for embodying the proposed improvements, after which the novel features of the same will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing an ore treating apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

F ig. 2 is a plan View of the same;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of the apparatus, the outer conduit being in section and the inner structui'e appearing in elevation with a portion of each of the inner conduit members cut away for the purpose of disclosing a portion of each of the inner elements of the structure; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, these illustrate the improved apparatus as comprising an outer conduit 6 provided at its upper end with a feed hopper 8 into which the ore-carrying material is discharged, said hopper having an inclined bottom and feeding int-o the conduit 6 through a series of openings 10, as shown in Fig. 1. At its lower end the conduit 6 is iitted with an elbow7 casting 12 which is equipped with a water supply pipe 14 provided with a regulating valve 16, while the said casting has connected thereto, at the side opposite from said pipe 14, an ore discharge pipe 18 provided with a valve 20. The pipe 14 is to be connected with any suitable source of waterpressure supply (not shown). Arranged centrally within the casting 12 is a tubular member 22 having a valve 24 and projecting up into the conduit 6 above the level of the inlet from said water supply pipe 14, said tubular member 22 being adapted to receive the second ore separation as hereinafter explained.

Arranged centrally within the conduit member 6 is a second conduit 26 of smaller diameter and formed with a spiral opening 2S extending substantially its full length. From both edges of this opening 28 project a series of relatively small deflecting elements or fingers 29 of more or less twisted form and extending at more or less of an angle across the annular space between the conduits. This arrangement of the conduits and the deiiecting fingers 29 is such as to produce a mild spiral movement of the water as it is forced upward from the supply pipe 14, and at the same time impart a cross wash of the water away from theV inner face of the conduit 6 toward and through the opening 28 into the inner conduit 26. Such a. conduit as the member 26 is conveniently constructed by simply slitting the side margins of an elongated metal strip and shaping the fingers thus formed and then ceiling the strip to the required shape and diameter.

Within the conduit 26 is centrally arranged a third conduit member 30 of still smaller diameter and .formed with a spiral opening 32 and delecting elements or fingers 34 somewhat similar to the construction of the conduit 26, but the arrangement of the opening 32 being spirally opposite to that of theopening 28 for the purpose of counteracting the upward tendency ot the water flow in the annular space between the conduits 26 and 30 and producin(r here a zone where a partial reversal of the water flow is established. In some cases I may also provide this conduit 30 with a plain spiral tubular lining 36 which is formed l5 with a spiral opening` 38, said lining being coiled in a direction opposite to that of the opening 32 and thereby partially closing the passage through said opening.

Inside the conduit 30 and its lining memloer 36 I locate a tubular member 40 of still smaller diameter occupying an axial position within the conduit 6. This tubular ymember 40 is formed with a spiral opening l2 extending in the same spiral direction as the openings 28 and 38, one of the edges of said opening 42 being provided with deflectincf elements or fingers 44, the arrangement 2being such as to promote or accelerate the upward spiral movement of the water through this central zone or core ot the apparatus. Y

In the operation of the apparatus, orecarrying material is fed into the same from the hopper 8 through the plurality of openings 10, while a continuous flow of water from the supply pipe 14 is maintained in a general upward direction through the conduit 6. This ascending water flow meets the downward precipitation of the ore-carrying material, and the arrangement of the deiiect ing lingers 29 is such as to not only agitate the resultant mixture and produce a mild spiral twist of the water flow, but also to impart a cross wash current in the direction 45 of the opening 2S. By means of this action the heaviest ore particles constituting the irst ore separation are allowed to descend to the bottom of the rst or outer settling compartment, e., the space between the conduits 6 and`26, where they may be drawn ott through the pipe 18, while the relatively lighter ores are carried on with the water How into the second compartment formed by the annular space between the conduits 26 and 30. I-Iere the spiral arrangen'ient ot lthe delecting structure is such as to produce an opposite twisting effect upon the water flow and'establish a zone in which the water is almost stationary or partially reversed in the direction of its movement; in this way a.

second ore separation is effected ot intermediate sizes of the ore particles, which are allowed to settle into the ore-'receiving member 22, while the relatively lighter particles are diverted by the lateral water currents CPL through the openings 32 and 38 intol the third compartment occupied by the spiral tubular member 40. Here less resistance is interposed to the movement of the water and its upward flow is accordingly accelerated, although broken somewhat by the battle ingers 44, thereby allowing further separation of some of' the ore particles within this compartment, which particles are permitted to be discharged at the lower end of the compartment into the ore-receivingmember 22; the rest of the ore product, comprising the lightest and iinest ore particles, is carried on out into the upper end of the conduit 6 and discharged by way of the spout 46, constituting the iinal separation made by the operation of the apparatus.

By means of the described construction, I have devised an improved apparatus for the separation of the liner particles of' a mill 85 crush of mine dirt from the coarser particles, which is an important step in the general practice of ore concentration. The apparatus is also applicable for the removal ot' pollutions or impurities contained in v,the various ore concentrates after the same have passed thro-ugh the various steps or' concentration, the large percentage of such impurities being contained in the liner particles. Accordingly a modification of the arrangement of this apparatus can be used to advantage as various units in the processI of concentrating various ores. The regulation as to the size of the separations to be made is delinitely effected and controlled by the amount of water supplied at the lower end of the apparatus. A suiiiciently strong stream can be supplied to throw or remove, by the action of the cross wash currents, all of theA mill feed or ore-carrying material` from the :[irst or outer settling compartment to the middle compartment between the conduits 26 and 36,-but by diminishing the strength or force of the water flow only such of the finer material is removed from the outer compartment as is desired, the coarser particles being allowed to settle tothe bottom of said compartment. With regard to the various deflecting elements or lingers, the number and size of these and y their particular contour and angular positions are determined by the size and ca pacity of the machine as well as the character of the material being handled; for eX- ample, for certain classes of ores, such as the heavier grades, the said delecting iingers may be required to be set at more of an outward and downward slant than for lighter ores which are handled more effectively with the deiiecting fingers arranged in approximately the manner illustrated. The exact adjustment for the most eiiicient results is ascertained by actual operative tests with reference to :the grad@ @it ore being handled. A* i 3 e TvVhile I have iilustrated and described what I now regard as constituting the preferred form of embodiment of the improvements I desire to reserve the right to n'iake such formal changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of t'ne appended claims.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

l. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a fiow of water therethrough, means for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, a second settling conduit arranged centrally within said first conduit and formed with an opening affording communication with said first conduit throughout substantially the entire length of said second conduit, and means arranged to effect a cross wash of the water away from the inner face of said first conduit toward and through said opening into the second conduit.

2. An ore treating apparatus comprising` an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a flow of water therethrough, means for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, a second settling conduit arranged centrally within said first conduit and formed with a spiral opening extending substantially its entire length and affording communication with said first conduit, and means arranged to effect a spiral movement of the water around said second conduit and operating to impart a cross wash of the water away from the inner face of said first conduit towa'd and through said opening into the second conduit.

3. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a fiow of water therethrough, means `for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, a second settling conduit arranged centrally within said first conduit and formed with a spiral opening extending substantially its entire length and affording communication with said first conduit, said t second conduit being provided with deflecting elements extending outward from both edges of said opening in position to impart a cross wash of the water away from the inner face of said first conduit toward and through said opening into the second conduit.

4. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a flow of water therethrough, means for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, a second settling conduit arranged centrally within said first conduit and formed with an opening affording communication with said first conduit throughout substantially the entire length of said second conduit, means arranged to eEect a cross wash of the water away from the inner face f said first conduit toward and through said opening into the second conduit, and separate discharge outlets for carrying off the separated ore products from the iower ends of conduits.

5. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with a water inlet connection at its iower end for maintaining an upward fiow f water through the conduit, means for feeding orecarrying material to the upper end portion of said conduit, a second ore settling conduit arranged centrally within said first conduit and formed with an opening affording communication with said first conduit throughout substantially the entire length of said second conduit, means arranged to effect a cross wash of the water away from the inner face of said first conduit toward and through said opening into the second conduit, and a plain tubular member of approximately the diameter of said second conduit and communicating therewith at a point above the level of said w-ater inlet connection.

6. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a flow of water therethrough, means for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, a second settling conduit arranged centrally within #said first conduit and formed with a spiral opening extending substantially its entire length and affording communication with said first conduit, said second conduit being provided with deflecting elements extending outward from both edges of said opening in position to impart a cross wash of the water away from the inner face of said first conduit toward and through said opening into the second conduit, and means arranged within said second conduit to retard the upward movement of the water therein.

7. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a flow of water therethrough, means for feeding` ore-carrying` material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, additional conduits ar 1anged one within the other and coaxially with said first conduit and provided with spiral openings extending substantiaily their entire length and affording communication with each other and with said first conduit, said openings extending in spirally opposite directions and provided with defiecting elements extending outward from both edges of saidopenings in position to impart a cross wash of the water inwardly toward and through said openings, and separate discharge outlets for carrying off the separated ore products from the first conduit and from the lower ends of the otheryconduits.

8. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a liow of water therethrough, means for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, additional conduits arranged one within the other and coaxially with said Afirst conduit and provided with spiral openings extending substantially their entire length and afording communication with each other and with said first conduit, said openings extending in spirally opposite directions and provided with deflecting' elements extending outward from both edges of said openings in position to impart a crosswash of the water inwardly toward and through said openings, and a tubular member fitting within the inner one of said additional conduits and provided with a spiral opening extending in a direction op- 'posite to that of the opening of said inner conduit for restricting the passage through said last named opening.

9. An ore treating apparatus comprising an ore settling conduit provided with means for maintaining a How of water therethrough, means for feeding ore-carrying material to said conduit adjacent one end thereof, additional conduits arranged one within the other and coaxially with said first conduit and provided with spiral openings extending substantially their entire length and affording communication with each other and with said rst conduit, said openings extending in spirally opposite directions and provided with` deflecting elements extending outward from both edges of said openings in position to impart a cross wash of the water inwardly toward and through said openings,` a still smaller tubular member arranged axially within the inner one of said additional conduits and formed with a spiral opening extending in a direction opposite to that of the opening of said inner conduit and provided with outwardly extending deflecting lingers for breaking up and retarding the flow of water within said inner conduit and deflecting a portion of such water'into said axial tubular member, and a discharge outlet from said first conduit approximately opposite the upper ends of said inner conduits.

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

LEWIS I-I. FALLE Y. 

